The visit of Man United on Sunday will see Sturridge meet up with a few familiar faces from his appearances with national teams.

Danny Welbeck, in particular, is a player he knows very well, having led the England Under 21 attack alongside him on a number of occasions, and he is only too aware of what the young striker is capable of.

"His biggest strength is the fact he works so hard for his team, he's also a very good finisher and when he gets a chance he tends to put it away," Sturridge told chelseafc.com.

"I've played up front with him for England Under-21s and Under-19s, I have a good relationship with him, and he's obviously a player with great abilities. He's somebody that will be around for a long time and hopefully one day we will be playing together for the senior national team.

"I've also played with Tom Cleverley who has a lot of talent, although I'm not sure if he will be fit for the game, but my big mate at United is Chris Smalling who I speak to quite regularly. He's a defensive rock and he'll be there to put his stamp on the game. He's a player who has improved so much, and he's proved what he's all about."